THINK LIKE A CREEK
A retired Forest Service biologist uses the natural meanderings of waterways to help restore the ecological health of the land. <http://www.headwatersnews.org/WhiteZeedyk021506.html>
BLM ALLOWS DRILLING LEASES IN COLORADO CITY’S WATERSHED
The Bureau of Land Management approved the sale of oil and gas leases on 12,000 acres in Colorado’s Mesa County, despite protests of municipal and county leaders who said the drilling would damage water supplies, but the BLM did say it will impose regulations that will protect the water. Denver Post; Feb. 8
COLORADO BILL COULD DIVERT WATER FROM KAYAK PARKS
Recreational in-channel water diversions are a new concept in Colorado, and a proposed bill would open urban kayak parks’ rights to water to more challenges and limit how much water the parks could take during low flows. Denver Post; Feb. 17 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3518270>
DURANGO OFFICIALS HIRE A LAWYER TO DRAFT AN APPLICATION FOR BOATING WATER
Proponents of a plan in Durango to protect recreational water use in that Colorado city’s park have hired a lawyer to draft an application for water rights and claim they aren’t attempting to take water from upstream users – they just want to ensure there is enough water in the river to provide for future boating opportunities. Durango Herald; Feb. 15 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/06/news060215_1.htm>
NEW MEXICO LEGISLATORS MAKE BIG PUSH FOR WATER PROJECTS
New Mexico legislators want to expand Gov. Bill Richardson’s “Year of the Child” to become “Year of the Child and Water,” and are pushing bills to set aside tens of millions of dollars into a trust fund for water projects and to make that fund a permanent one under the state’s constitution. Albuquerque Journal; Feb. 5 <http://www.abqjournal.com/xgr/430883xgr02-05-06.htm>
NEW MEXICO MULLS LIMITS ON DOMESTIC WATER WELLS
Thousands of families in New Mexico depend on domestic water wells for their water, and State Engineer John D’Antonio is proposing new limits for such wells, including limiting water use from new wells and imposing stricter limits in areas where water supplies are tight. Albuquerque Journal; Feb. 6 <http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/431072nm02-06-06.htm>
NEW MEXICO COUNTY BUYS FARM, WATER RIGHTS
Santa Fe County officials said they paid $5 million to purchase the 3,166-acre Top of the World Farm near the Colorado border, and that $3.7 million of the purchase price was used to buy the farm’s 1,164 acre-feet of groundwater, some of which may be used to help settle the decades-old Aamodt lawsuit. Santa Fe New Mexican; Feb. 28 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/40057.html> <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/38286.html>
NEW MEXICO COUNTY CAUGHT IN WATER ALLOCATION CROSS-CURRENTS
Santa Fe County officials have allocated more water to new development than the county has to give, and now officials are grappling with whether to continue approving water requests on a first-come, first served basis or whether it’s time for some comprehensive planning. Santa Fe New Mexican; March 1 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/40110.html>
MOAB URANIUM CLEANUP MAY FACE BIG DELAYS
People who want the Moab uranium tailings cleaned up from the banks of the Colorado River say President Bush’s budget proposal for their project just won’t do. Salt Lake Tribune, 2/6 <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3483268>
MASSIVE UTAH WATER PROJECT BILL GOES TO THE GOV FOR SIGNATURE
The Senate passed a bill to provide seed money for the Bear River project, a $680-million water project in northern Utah, allowing preliminary engineering and environmental studies to go forward, although groups who oppose the project said they’ll continue to fight it. Salt Lake Tribune; Feb. 17 <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3518542>
NAVAJO LEADER ISSUES DROUGHT WARNING FOR RESERVATION
Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. issued a drought warning for the Navajo reservation and signed a resolution asking all branches of the tribal government to start planning how they will deal with the ongoing situation. Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); Feb. 15 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/39460.html>
NEW MEXICO ON TRACK TO SET RECORD FOR DROUGHT
Snowpack in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico is at the lowest it’s been in 25 years, and Albuquerque may be on the verge of shattering the record of the driest winter set in 1903-04 if substantial moisture doesn’t fall this week. Albuquerque Journal; Feb. 23 <http://www.abqjournal.com/north/435886north_news02-23-06.htm>
ARIZONA GOVERNOR CONVENES DROUGHT RESPONSE TEAM
Just five weeks into 2006, Arizona is hotter and dryer than it’s been in years and fires are already sweeping the state, with more dry weather and fires expected, and Gov. Janet Napolitano called upon a state panel to implement a drought plan developed in 2004 but not yet used. Arizona Republic; Feb. 9 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0209govdrought0209.html>
ARIZONA PROJECT CONTINUES ON DESPITE A DEARTH OF WATER
A proposal to put 13,000 homes in Arizona’s Golden Valley has garnered the approval of the Mohave County Board of Supervisors despite the lack of any evidence that water exists to support what will become a community of nearly 400,000. Arizona Republic; Feb. 5 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0205ruralwater0205.html>
ARIZONA ISSUES WATER WARNING TO NEVADA DEVELOPERS
Nevada developers who plan to build two massive master-planned communities in northern Arizona have been warned by Arizona water officials that if the developers cannot prove there is a 100-year supply of water for their communities, the state will deny the applications to build. Las Vegas Review-Journal; Feb. 23 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Feb-23-Thu-2006/news/6031055.html>
TRIBE APPEALS DECISION TO ALLOW SNOWMAKING ON ARIZONA PEAK
The Navajo Nation has filed an appeal to a federal district court decision that cleared the way for an Arizona ski resort to use wastewater to make snow on Arizona’s San Francisco Peaks, an area considered sacred by the tribe. Albuquerque Journal (AP); Feb. 28 <http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/apsnowmaking02-28-06.htm>
GRAZING ALLOTMENTS DISAPPEAR IN SOUTHERN NEVADA
There are 550 grazing permittees in Nevada for cattle and sheep, but only five of those lie within the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management’s Las Vegas District, where grazing allotments are being retired to provide water and habitat for wildlife. Las Vegas Review-Journal; Feb. 19 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Feb-19-Sun-2006/news/5907716.html>
COLORADO RIVER STATES ADD HISTORIC CHAPTER
Editorial – Call it the most significant Colorado River agreement since the 1922 compact that set specific water allocations for Arizona and six other western states. Arizona Central, 2/7 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0207tue1-07.html>
GROUPS FILE SUIT OVER FEDERAL EFFORTS TO SAVE COLORADO RIVER FISH
Five groups are suing the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Department of Interior for what they allege is a failure to protect native species of fish in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam and throughout the Grand Canyon. Salt Lake Tribune; Feb. 17 <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3518679>
U.S. JUDGE RULES AGAINST MEXICAN WATER LAWSUIT
A federal judge in Nevada has ruled against environmentalists and Mexican agricultural interests trying to block a U.S. plan to rebuild a leaky stretch of a canal near the border that supplies water to farms in California’s Imperial Valley. Associated Press, 2/13 <http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-canal12feb12,0,2001668.story?coll=la-headlines-california>
COMMENTARY: WATER ALLOCATION IN THE WEST ENTERS A NEW ERA
Epic changes are afoot in water allocation, including water being transferred from ranches to cities and water users organizing allocation in a peaceful, cooperative manner, and the good work should go one step further to replace the existing Colorado River Compact with one that better reflects environmental laws and changing demographics. New West; Feb. 14 <http://www.newwest.net/index.php/main/article/6036/>
CALIFORNIA’S FINAL WATER PLAN DOESN’T END DEBATE
California has a final version of a state water planning document, but the debate still looms over whether water conservation will be enough to keep urban and rural areas with sufficient supply. Mercury-Register, 2/8 <http://www.orovillemr.com/news/ci_3485562>
WYOMING CLOUD SEEDING STUDIES TAKE OFF
Wyoming officials hope that cloud-seeding efforts will eventually increase precipitation by 10 percent providing the state with a cheaper alternative to augmenting water supplies than building reservoirs. Casper Star-Tribune; Feb. 26 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/02/26/news/wyoming/1771d0e885f07b5e8725712100005c43.txt>
WYOMING GOVERNOR LAYS OUT OPTIONS FOR CBM WATER
In his State of the State speech, Gov. Dave Freudenthal pitched his idea of a pipeline stretching from northeast Wyoming to the North Platte River to carry water discharged from coalbed methane operations to satisfy the state’s water obligations to Nebraska, but coalbed methane operators said they want to keep their options open. Casper Star-Tribune; Feb. 14 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/02/14/news/wyoming/4629fbb3e48bd7a68725711500039052.txt>
WYOMING’S PLAN FOR METHANE WATER A DUD FOR NEBRASKA
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal’s plan to dump coalbed methane water into the Platte River may satisfy the state’s water obligations to neighboring Nebraska, but officials there should be leery of accepting contaminated water. Casper Star-Tribune; Feb. 26 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/02/26/editorial/columns/4f1845816219028087257120007e24b1.txt>
MONTANA OKS TWO CBM WASTEWATER PERMITS
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality issued two wastewater permits to the state’s only producer of coalbed methane that will allow discharge of some treated and untreated water into the Tongue River. Billings Gazette; Feb. 7 <http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/02/07/news/state/41-cbm-permits.txt>
CRITICS SAY WYOMING DOES TOO LITTLE TO CURB DISCHARGE OF CBM WATER
Wyoming officials said they are pursuing legal options against a coalbed methane operator in the Powder River Basin after a well-hidden culvert used by a coalbed methane operator to illegally discharge water was discovered, but critics say state law is not tough enough to be much of a deterrent. Casper Star-Tribune; Feb. 8 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/02/08/news/wyoming/195bb99a8dfbfd628725710f000200a2.txt>
WYOMING RANCHERS SEEK CHANGE IN CBM WATER RULES
Landowners in Wyoming want state regulators to change the rules on water discharged during coalbed methane operations to force operators to prove all the water discharged is actually being used for a beneficial purpose. Casper Star-Tribune; Feb. 16 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/02/16/news/wyoming/af09b17a974a525e87257117000390ad.txt>
QUANTITY, QUALITY FOCUS OF CBM WATER DEBATE IN WYOMING
Wyoming ranchers told members of Wyoming’s Environmental Quality Council that the agency should look at the quantity of water produced during coalbed methane operations in the Powder River Basin, as well as water quality, but officials said the state can only regulate water quantity only so far as water quality is involved. Casper Star-Tribune; Feb. 17 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/02/17/news/wyoming/3db1b159404ff2a98725711800064904.txt>
WYOMING MUST FIND A WAY TO MANAGE COALBED METHANE WATER
If Wyoming were to develop the entire estimated 31.7 trillion cubic feet of coal-bed methane reserves, nearly 80 percent of which are in the Powder River Basin, an estimated 7 million acre feet of water, enough to fill Lake DeSmet 30 times, will be pumped out of the aquifer and everyone must work together to find a way to manage all that water. Casper Star-Tribune; Feb. 20 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/02/20/editorial/columns/a89d082f9d034aec8725711900268d5d.txt>
FEDERAL AGENCY SAYS YELLOWSTONE CUTTHROAT TROUT ISN’T ENDANGERED
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that despite shrinking habitat and threats from non-native species and whirling disease, there is no evidence that the Yellowstone cutthroat trout will disappear in the next 20 to 30 years, and declined to list the species as endangered. Billings Gazette; Feb. 21 <http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/02/21/news/state/39-cutthroat.txt>
SNAKE RIVER ADJUDICATION NEARLY COMPLETE
It may seem impossible, but 20 years after it began, Idaho’s massive Snake River Basin Adjudication is nearing completion. Salem Capital Press, 2/10 <http://www.capitalpress.info/Formlayout.asp?Formcall=30&SectionID=67&SubSectionID=617&ArticleID=22832>
OREGON’S WATER WAR
OPINION: The Klamath Basin has become famous for conflict. Tribes, irrigators, environmentalists and others have all had victories and losses in the ongoing legal and administrative battles. Yet no one is better off. We think there’s a better way. Oregonian, 2/21 <http://www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1140479763129790.xml&coll=7>
FEDERAL WILDLIFE OFFICIALS EXPAND IDAHO HABITAT FOR ENDANGERED FISH
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials added another 6.9 miles of the Kootenai River in the Idaho panhandle as critical habitat for the Kootenai River white sturgeon, which was listed as endangered in 1994. Helena Independent Record (AP); Feb. 9 <http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/ID_STURGEON_HABITAT_MTOL-?SITE=MTHEL&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT>
FEDS THINK MORE WATER MAY HELP SAVE THREATENED STURGEON
A proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would send more water over Kootenai Dam in northwestern Montana to help save the endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon, and the plan is admittedly a bit vague as agency officials are hoping to avoid more lawsuits. Kalispell Daily Inter Lake; Feb. 24 <http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2006/02/24/news/news02.txt>
SALMON DRAW A QUARTER OF ALL ENDANGERED SPECIES FUNDING
According to a report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, salmon recovery efforts in the Northwest draw nearly 25 percent of state and federal money spent on endangered species recovery programs, or $393 million on the five Pacific salmon species out of a total $1.4 billion spent on 1,838 species. Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); Feb. 26 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/39976.html>
TEXAS SUES DEVELOPER OVER LAND WITHOUT WATER
The state of Texas is suing a developer for selling residential plots without water and sewage service in violation of laws meant to stop the spread of shanty towns. AP, 2/7 <http://enn.com/today.html?id=9819>
GROUPS TRYING TO BUY TEXAS WATER RIGHTS WIN
Environmental groups seeking to purchase water rights to keep Texas’ streams and rivers flowing in the face of increasing demand will be given the same consideration as cities and businesses, a judge in Austin ruled. Houston Chronicle, 2/8 <http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3643544.html>
AS UNDERGROUND WATER VANISHES, PLAINS TOWNS BRACE FOR COSTLY FUTURE
The Ogallala aquifer, the vast underground pool that feeds faucets across the Great Plains, is running low, forcing farmers and towns to find other sources of water and pay dearly for it, too. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=9864>
WATER-SUPPLY ‘CRISIS’ NEARING FOR MIAMI
Florida officials are warning Miami-Dade County, which is approaching a water-supply crisis, that it soon must come up with new water sources if new development in the county is to continue. Miami Herald, 1/30 <http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13722835.htm>
ENVIRONMENT MINISTER WARNS ENGLAND OF WATER SHORTAGES
Environment and Climate Change Minister Elliot Morley is urging consumers, businesses and water companies to stop wasting the precious resource, as a serious shortage could soon wreak havoc to communities and businesses across the south-east of England. Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, 2/2 <http://www.24dash.com/content/news/viewNews.php?navID=7&newsID=2829>
WATER’S NEW ANTI-TERROR WEAPON: FLEAS
Much as coal miners used canaries to detect toxic gases in mines, the Altoona City Authority said it will use Daphnia water fleas to test reservoirs for toxins that could be dumped by terrorists. Philadelphia Daily News, 1/29 <http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/13743530.htm>
PG&E RAISES ANTE IN TOXIC CHROMIUM 6 SUIT
In a real-life sequel to the hit movie ”Erin Brockovich,” Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said that it had agreed to pay an additional $295 million to settle claims over the cancer-causing chemical made famous in the movie. Sacramento Bee, 2/5 <http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/13798175.htm>
TORRENTIAL RAIN COULD THREATEN OREGON’S WATER FROM WELLS
Heavy rains and floodwaters add to the dangers of contaminated drinking water in areas that rely on wells, Oregon State University Extension Service officials say. Oregonian, 1/30 <http://www.oregonlive.com/metrowest/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_west_news/1138431367243310.xml&coll=7>
SENATOR CALLS NEW EPA PERCHLORATE GOAL ‘WEAK’
Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) is calling a new EPA preliminary cleanup goal for perchlorate ‘unacceptable’ and ‘weak’ compared with California’s remediation standard for the chemical. Water Tech Online, 1/30 <http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?mode=4&N_ID=59545>
NEEDLES EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT WASTEWATER PLAN
Needles officials are worried that a plan by the Clean Water Coalition to dump treated sewage in Lake Mead will pollute Colorado River water in Needles. The lake empties into the river approximately 80 miles upstream. Mojave Daily News, 02/19 <http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2006/02/19/news/local/local4.txt>
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS FOUND IN SOUTHLAND AQUIFERS
Behind a tangle of willows, every second of every day for almost half a century, recycled sewage has gushed into an El Monte creek and nourished one of Los Angeles County’s most precious resources: the drinking water stored beneath the San Gabriel Valley. LA Times, 1/30 <http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-drugs30jan30,0,5723467.story?coll=la-headlines-california> <http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/13754408.htm>
MEXICO’S WATER CHIEF HINTS AT BAJAGUA OK
Mexico’s top water official said that his agency would probably back a controversial proposal by a San Diego company to build and operate a sewage treatment plant in Mexico. San Diego Union-Tribune, 2/22 <http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060222/news_6m22bajagua.html>
FOREST SERVICE RELEASES OPTION FOR MONTANA DAM
Concerns that a dam created by mill tailings may burst and send a flood of toxic heavy metals like copper, lead and iron into Montana’s Blackfoot River led the Forest Service to develop six alternatives for managing the dam, with a decision expected in August. Helena Independent Record; Feb. 23 <http://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/02/23/helena/a01022306_01.txt>
CASES COULD THREATEN SCOPE OF CLEAN WATER ACT
On February 21, the Supreme Court heard two cases that could undermine federal protection of the vast majority of our nation’s streams, wetlands, ponds and other waters. NRDC, 2/13 <http://www.nrdc.org/media/#0213>
COURT TO CONSIDER DAMS’ EFFECT ON RIVERS
The U.S. Supreme Court will consider a water-quality case that has added fuel to the debate about how dams affect the rivers they control. Arizona Central, 02/20 <http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0220pollutesuit0220-dams.html>
GREENS SAY DISASTERS WORSENED BY WETLAND LOSS
The destruction of the world’s wetlands is exacerbating global disasters such as floods and famines and is a potential source of conflict in volatile regions. Ely Times, 2/3 <http://www.localnewsleader.com/elytimes/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=135452>
STUDY: ALBERTA MUST SPEND MILLIONS TO UPGRADE WATER SYSTEMS
The Alberta government has been sitting for more than a year on a confidential report that showed the Canadian province needed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade 535 water systems across the province.Calgary Herald; Feb. 16 <http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/story.html?id=a165f2fb-9451-4ba2-8413-735d51b129e4&k=28379>
